Leonardo Landini’s journey into the pizza business was anything but conventional. Originally from Florence, Italy, he arrived in the U.S. in 2002 with no restaurant experience — his family background was in fashion, not food. “Being Italian, I figured I either join the mob, but they’d kill me in three days, so I decided to go with food,” he joked.
Starting at the bottom, making cappuccinos in a small Italian restaurant in San Diego, he worked his way up to management before opening his first pizzeria, Landini’s Pizzeria, in Little Italy in 2009. Now, he owns multiple restaurants spanning San Diego and Las Vegas, each with its own take on Italian cuisine.
Leonardo emphasizes that running a pizza business isn’t just about making great food — it’s about understanding the numbers. “You’d be surprised how many restaurants have great food but don’t survive because they don’t understand their costs,” he warned. He credits his longevity to keeping a tight grasp on finances, maintaining high-quality ingredients, and building a strong, loyal team.
Leonardo encourages aspiring restaurateurs to be realistic. “Go for it. It’s not about luck — it’s about doing the work. If you love it, don’t let anything stop you.”